Three fatalities have now been connected to the outbreak
Three fatalities have now been connected to the outbreak(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Potential hantavirus infections are being investigated in 13 countries across four continents following the MV Hondius’s departure from Argentina. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has verified two cases among British nationals, while a third Briton is a suspected case on the isolated South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha.
Of the confirmed British patients, one is receiving hospital treatment in the Netherlands and another in South Africa, while the individual on Tristan da Cunha remains in situ. The situation escalated after 29 people, including seven Britons, left the ship at St Helena on 24 April; one disembarked Dutch woman subsequently became ill and passed away during her journey.
Three fatalities have now been connected to the outbreak, which was only officially confirmed by the World Health Organisation on 2 May. According to the WHO, the primary cases involved a Dutch couple who had toured Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay before joining the cruise.
Governments in countries such as Singapore, South Africa, and the Netherlands are now working to locate former passengers as the vessel heads for Tenerife. Although no Britons currently on board are displaying symptoms, the UKHSA maintains they are under strict surveillance. The Mirror reports that international health bodies continue to track the global footprint of the infection as more disembarked travellers are traced, reports The Mirror.
A statement from the UKHSA said the ship is expected to dock in Tenerife on Sunday, according to the latest updates from the Spanish health ministry. It added: “UK Government staff will be on the ground ready to support the British nationals disembarking.
“British passengers and ship crew not displaying any symptoms of hantavirus will be escorted by UK Government staff to an airport and given free passage back to the UK.”
It said Foreign Office officials and UKHSA teams will continue to support passengers, with a dedicated repatriation flight is being organised for passengers and crew.
The WHO also said that the risk to the general public remains low. Hantavirus is typically contracted through breathing in contaminated rodent droppings and does not spread easily between humans.
“We believe this will be a limited outbreak if the public health measures are implemented and solidarity is shown across all countries,” said Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud, the WHO’s alert and response director, on Thursday.
Countries hit by hantavirus outbreak
- Argentina
- South Africa
- Cape Verde
- Singapore
- Philippines
- US
- Spain
- UK
- France
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Germany
- Switzerland
All British passengers and crew from the ship are being asked to isolate for 45 days upon returning to the UK, with close monitoring by UKHSA officials.
“Follow-up is already under way for individuals who may have been in contact with cases and have since returned to the UK or are in in UK Overseas Territories,” the statement added.
It has already emerged that two Britons are currently self-isolating at home in the UK after they left the ship. The two flew back to the UK via Johannesburg after disembarking in St Helena.
Four Britons in total remain on the South Atlantic remote islands. A seventh individual has been traced outside the UK, according to the UKHSA. Some 19 British nationals in total were listed as passengers on the MV Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde, with four British crew members.
